Abyss drake species resource written guide[WIP] (Patreon)

Origin and biology: As the tertiary species on Emain, and a heavily bioengineered one at that, the Abyss drakes (drakes for short) are the planets last hope to carry on its lineage and history. 

Stocky in frame compared to both their parental races, Drakes take after their great ancestors known as Mistavians. (Mistavian dragons). Before the second war, the Mistavian dragons were a nomadic race of quadruped dragons, adorned with horns and wings and scaled flesh with which downy fur or feathers sprouted up between. They were noble and beautiful, and the first race to perish at the hands of Chaos(sentient virus).

Like their ancestors, Drakes carry on their Mistavian families head-shape and thicker bodies. Compared to the much smaller rift drakes, and the taller, leaner veil drakes, abyss are middle height, but the strongest of the lesser-species of dragonids. 

Anatomy: The head is flat, two smooth ridges are the only interruption along an otherwise flat skull. These ridges jut out slightly, allowing some protection of the eye-sockets. Below the eye is a bony plate covered in a thin layer of skin and fur that is the cheek bone, and under is a thick set of muscles to power the bottom jaw which is NOT attached to the upper jaw, much like a snake. This trait allows drakes to swallow large prey.

Hollow: From the jaws the underside hides a hollow space where fur does not grow, this is right along the salivary glands in the throat and are known as the Hollows. This furless gap is extremely sensitive and vulnerable. Both the most arousing point on a drakes body, and the easiest place to kill one. A quick stab into the hollows and a drake would bleed out rapidly, in extreme pain before they died. 

Horns: Each drake has two horns that grow from the same place on the skull no matter which region they hail from. Between the ears and behind the brow ridges, horns sprout at only a few days old and grow throughout their lifetime. Drakes often will bend their horns in different styles as they grow, a process which takes years and is much like that of bonsai trees of earth. Unnaturally shaped horns are a sign of high class and wealth.

Eyes: Drake eyes are light sensitive with slitted pupils. They have a nictitating membrane like most reptiles and avians, which flicks over their eyes during combat or stressful situations to protect the eye from damage. They have excellent night vision though their day vision is under-average. Bright lights tend to hurt their eyes as their pupils retract to narrow lines to avoid drawing in so much light.

Tongue & Mouth: The drake tongue is ridged to the point of being plated or scaled along the sides. The center of the tongue has a gland which is actually located under the tongue and towards the underside of the jaw. This gland is their primary fire production gland, which contains high concentrations of sulfuric acid. When a drake is threatened, they open their mouths wide and squeeze that gland, and the acid sprays out along with sodium phosphate and sugars from their upper mouth glands (roof of their mouths). This creates a blast of fire that they can spit up to 3 times every few hours. The heat of the flame is intense and may ignite a multitude of surfaces. Drakes that are alcoholic would have an explosive reaction when they spit fire, and in all likelihood, would explode their own teeth from their head and scorch the inside of their mouths. Lucky for them, their teeth regrow in a matter of weeks.

Upper body: From the head down is a thick, muscular neck that is completely unlike humans and our thin necks. Their shoulders are wide and muscular, even on females, and they have broad chests. Female drakes have small vestigial breasts, a trait that their ancestors are unsure of where it came from. They do not produce milk for their young, and behave much like mother crocodiles or pythons when they have offspring, caring for them for several months. By the time a drake pup is a few Emain months old, it is already half of its adult size and fully self sufficient.